She likes nature and the outdoors but finds Lagos too metropolitan. However, the entertainment circuit is one that has tantalizingly held her. She felt free and was roaming, loving the city. In fact, she was offered her first job in Lagos out of fear of an “oyinbo” lady walking the Lagos streets in a manner considered “too freely” by fellow “oyinbos.” They feared for her. They just could not understand why she would put herself in such dangers. So, she got out of empathy a marketing job with an Indian firm. However, Anke Holst, whose personality would not allow her to “cut seven corners as her employers did”, resigned last year, and she is back to her passion, which is music. She has frolicked with those that matter in Nigeria’s entertainment circuit. Unlike most other foreigners, she has come to now the heartbeat of the country.
Therefore, in the spate of one and a half years of living here, she has seen enough to be concerned about the potentials of this tropical country where she is amazed at plants growing in the wild, vast natural resources, human talents, and more. She is so in tune with the aphorisms such as joining in speech the words yes and now to sound like “yesnow” and must shock some Nigerians with her knowledge of the nuances of Nigerian attitude and behaviours, though modestly, she still refers to herself as “new.” She also refers to Nigerians, forgetting her Caucasian race and using the possessive term “We”. More importantly she is concerned that the country is not even tapping its resources and talents adequately. “And why?” she asks, while rhetorically answering, “Because of something that’s wrong with people’s heads. Very simple!”
She wants a change. That over 90% of the talents and resources in the country is wasted bothers her. And her weapon is no other than music. She says, “What does everybody listen to? It’s not the good speeches, its not long inspirational speeches. It is the radio.” And so, she is set to create a forum where musicians become fully conscious of the message they pass across in their music as it is a potent weapon for change. Also realizing that the youths are the leaders of tomorrow and any development programme that does not utilize the youth as fulcrum is merely retro-productive, her focus is geared towards the youth. Again, she feels music is the best way to get to them.
Having experienced a music carnival in 1981 at age ten in her hometown in Rostock, Germany, where Cuban, Latin, and South African music were played, the seeds of world music had been sown in her without her conscious knowledge. Now, she wonders why Nigerians cannot earn from its indigenous music. “Why music can’t be part of our tourism? Do you know that there are tourists that want to hear live music performance? And in answering the questions that must have bothered her for sometime, she replies by way of a question, “do you Tinariwen? Oh, they are so good,” she says with a glint in her eye. “There are people that travel far into the Malian desert just to hear them play,” she gushes in the ecstasy characteristic of a true music lover.
Though Anke completely supports anything the Nigerian entertainment industry comes up with, she cannot get into tune with some songs whose messages are negative in tones. Anke who is a vegetarian, does not drink alcohol, does not smoke and does not go near drugs believes Fela despite his delinquencies is a shining example saying “this is the land of Fela, the one person that has shown that you can put important message into music and it’s still funky.” And she feels, if multinationals can use the power of entertainment to push their brands, “why can’t we use that same medium to push the important message of change?” she asks, stressing that “we need to educate people on everything, from this is what we have do to change the country to stop burning rubbish to so many things that we need to do to change everybody’s quality of life.”
She therefore urges members of the entertainment industry to wake up to their responsibility saying, “it is their voice everybody listens to everyday. So, even if they bring out albums, say about three or four of their songs should have inspirational messages. You know, you have Rugged-man; he has a brilliant AIDS awareness song (Flesh to Flesh to Death) on his album “Ruggedy Baba”. Ruggedman is actually one of our main supporters. You cannot tell me that you will listen to that song and it won’t touch you.”
At the launch of music for change in November last year, “One of the artiste who was there made a strong point that it was necessary to make songs about “booty shaking” because he wanted to sell albums. I didn’t have to stand up to defeat that. BOUQUI did that with one sentence, “Ehn, what about Tuface?” Tuface is like one of our biggest selling artistes and all of his songs are respectable. Tuface doesn’t need to lower himself like that and he’s still a hugely successful artiste. It’s still everybody’s choice what they want to sing. I’m just saying that artistes need to be aware of their role that what they say actually goes to people’s minds and hearts and they have the power to make a difference. I’m not saying they all have to do it. I’m just saying, be aware. People like different kinds of music.”
She says “I do like to nag and remind people of this. I’m the kind of person, that if I do something, I look at the essence; I look at what do and find what I want to achieve.” Internationally, People like Black Eyed Peas and Kanye West all pass across messages. Even Fergie with her “Don’t lie” has been preaching a message, no matter how small. Now, she intends to take her message of “Change” to the governor Raji Fashola of Lagos state, and his wife, Abimbola.
Coming from a publishing background that saw her go to Sweden in 1994 where she immersed herself in working with the Russian Language and specialized in proofreading. An offer she passed for four years when she first got it in 1990. While in Sweden, she married and had a baby boy. When Sweden wore off on her, she did not feel like returning to Germany, its structured proper planning, straight buildings, durable products, and order where she feels the people are very morose. So, off it was to London where she worked in the IT industry with HP. And after six years of working in London, she was tired of the office thing. It was time to set her spirit free and what better way than to pursue passion.
She had known of the attraction Nigeria held for her and was certain she was coming over. Three years earlier, while in London, she met and worked with Ben Okafor. And the times working with Ben gave an inkling to what Nigeria and Nigerians could offer. And when her spirits wanted to roam again, Lagos was the preferred destination.
Reading about Bolaji Rosiji in the newspaper further fueled her desire. Now that she is here, she seems to be dipping her hands into nearly every laudable social project and she gushes with gleaming eyes saying, “I am working on a big project with National Agency for Control of Aids (NACA). They did not want events because events are a one-off thing.” Therefore, instead, she is packaging a show to create a lasting buzz.
It involves the synchronizing of academics with the messages with the artistes who actually pass the message. Working with Deji Falope under Media Hall, BigScreen TV, and Loud radio, she’s set to embark on reality show where the “Stars” would centre their efforts on the difficult task of becoming NACA ambassador. The setting will be such that artistes made up of musicians, songwriters, and singers will interact with coaches (Gbenga Sesan, Niyi Akesanya, Fela Durotoye, Adeolu Akinyemi, and Funmi Iyanda) to produce music whose content will focus on edifying messages. Anke is enthusiastic and believes “it is amazing what we can achieve.”
Starting in March, 2008 in Abuja “it will run for ten weeks and we will be filming them throughout. It will be fun as people get to see their celebrities perform and compete in tasks given to them” Anke says. However, the real job according to her will start when “they have to face people as NACA ambassadors.”
In addition, she is working on reviving life music, saying, “we’re going to make four stages, two on the island and two on the mainland where we’re going to have Afrobeat, Fuji, and other type of music performing life. Not like what obtains with an artiste performing on stage while a CD plays in the background.”
Not new to fundraising, as she was also involved in fundraising for community projects while in Germany. However, on a new terrain, she is still grasping with the arduous task, though she is not complaining. So far, the sponsors are trickling in and they include Unicem, the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), Nigerian Breweries, MTN, and CFAO motors. But her optimism is infectious as she purposely pursues a change of orientation, attitude and destiny for this giant of Africa.
“I’m not saying I know what Nigerians need. At all! All I want is to help people that have the messages that need to be spread to the grassroots to get their message through.” And she believes “addressing people on a level that’s not just talking to them” can do the trick. “I’ve seen it work in different places. And that’s basically what I want to do. And that’s why I came to Nigeria” she enthused. When asked how it has all been? Anke utters just one word. “Brilliant.”
